Crab Louie

November 8, 2000

It is believed that this salad was named after the French King Louis XIV, or the "Sun King" (1638-1715) who was known for the large amounts of food he could eat. Legend has it that an autopsy carried out after his death revealed that his stomach was twice the size of that of ordinary men.Christopher Hirsheimer

Nobody knows for sure who Louie was, or where this dish was invented—but we think the version made at the Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco is as good as it gets.